Soon after we moved to Florida and began to appreciate the comparatively fine driving weather and (to us) extremely smoothly paved roads, John began to dream of actually owning a Corvette.

As with microbes and stray animals, there is one "out there" with your name on it and if you are patient, it will come to you. In our case the dream car appeared on Ebay and in its pictures, at least, it looked ideal. This was two years ago, and doing business on Ebay was relatively in its infancy, especially with buying a car. Our experiences with the virtual auction house had been not unpleasant and there was no reason to believe that the corvette negotiations would be otherwise.

Indeed, in our case, BECAUSE we could inspect the car (not once but several times on different occasions) we had a pretty good, if drawn-out buying experience, but I would certainly want to caution anyone who could not take the time, spend the money to go inspect the car him/herself. Ebay has an escrow service, which guarantees a purchase to arrive intact and as advertised, but t his service does not apply to automobiles. Again, if an item does not reach its reserve price, any oversight, which Ebay may want to exercise over the proper conduct of buyer and seller, does not apply to the purchase. In our case, bids for the car did not reach the seller's reserve, and negotiations were conducted privately, after the auction had ended.

All of these practical matters might have had a sorely adverse impact on our experience. Fortunately, we managed to negotiate our way along through the process with only a glitch or two. Our seller, Vinnie, located a little north of West Palm Beach, was very accessible and anxious to complete the deal, once the price had been fixed. There was only one problem, however. Understandably, Vinnie would not allow the car to be driven if it had been raining. This being the June of 1999, Vinnie and the Gommels were facing some formidable obstacles in the shape of towering thunderclouds and daily downpours.

Vinnie's sales pitch had been, "believe me, you won't be disappointed." But when could we find out? Phone calls back and forth would go like this:

Vinnie: I can show you the car this afternoon, after two…
Cindy: Vinnie, I don't know if you are having rain but it is pouring down here in Boca.

Or:

Cindy: Vinnie, if it's OK, we can drive up to see the car in an hour or so…
Vinnie: Well, I'd rather wait; it's raining pretty hard right now.

And so on.

Finally a day arrived which was fair for all, dry enough to drive the car, at least around the block, and we drove up I95 to see the Corvette. Vinnie had cared lovingly for the car; it was parked in his spacious garage and it was pristine. But no one could tell, either from the pictures on Ebay or from a cursory visual inspection what actually was for sale in the black 1963 Corvette, parked in a garage north of Palm Beach.

Vinnie had purchased the 'vette from a rocket scientist (YES! a REAL rocket scientist who worked at Cape Kennedy) who obviously wanted his own terrestrial rocket to drive around in. The stock 327 cubic inch engine had been enlarged to a race prepared 350, with a full race cam, race prepared), high rise Edelbrock intake manifold with an Edelbrock 700 cfm four barrel carburetor, and Hooker headers connected to the side pipes, 323 Positraction rear, Bilstein shocks, Muncie M-22 4 speed transmission, Hurst shifter, Mallory distributor, Accel coil.

Many of these "extras" were in addition to the extra features which were part of the initial 1963 Sting Ray package:

Four-wheel independent suspension, retractable headlamps, and a "Split-Window" on the rear of the coupe. (The principal Sting Ray designers had argued over the split window... Zora Arkus-Duntov maintained that the pillar would limit the driver's visibility, but Bill Mitchell liked the design. The "Split" was on the 1963, but Zora won out and it was dropped for 1964). Also new was the "cockpit style" interior, and a host of new options, including the Z06 performance package (360hp fuel injected engine, knock off wheels, 36 gallon fuel tank, Positraction, four speed manual transmission, heavy duty brakes, dual master cylinder, sintered metallic brake linings, front brake air scoops, heavy duty stabilizer, and heavy duty springs and shocks front and rear), air conditioning (alas, not on our car), and the Muncie four-speed transmission. There was a beefed up frame, quicker steering, self adjusting brakes with an 18 percent increase in lining area, steel reinforcing for the fiberglass body, a lower stance, and the new model was also shorter and narrower.

Only 199 buyers had chosen the Z06 option package in 1963.

The gleaming sleek body was painted an intriguing black rose (black over a reddish base, a technique originating from the early Renaissance), and the standard hood had been replaced by a stinger hood (which appeared on later models). Our rocket scientist was heavily into drag racing and the car looked every bit the part. John was ecstatic; Cindy was nonplussed.

Up until our relationship with Vinnie and his 'vette, we had been strictly Jaguar people, with experiences ranging from mildly good to positively horrifying, buying, caring for and fixing up different Jag models. We currently owned two XKE's: a 1969 two-seater coupe, and a 1973 V12 roadster. Cindy was used to a smooth running (when it actually ran) machine, a purring engine (when it actually ran), a road-hugging sleek comfortable - if a little cramped - powerful and (excuse me, sexy) car, but, at the same time, a car which continually threatened to devour discretionary income in great gulps.

If I had been nonplussed during the initial inspection when buyer and seller circle the car at a respectful distance and cast sidelong glances under the body, it would be difficult to describe my reaction upon hearing the engine start up. As it literally roared into life I remember thinking, "well, I guess it needs some work on the exhaust..." or something to that effect. However, any remark I might have been emboldened to make was drowned out in a headache-inducing racket and mind-numbing din.

The test drive was more of the same, roaring engine, throbbing car body, neck-snapping acceleration - music to John's ears, soothing motion for his soul. Now I discovered that the noise the 'vette made was not only "normal" but positively desirable. The acceleration (and I thought the jags were fast!) was in the order of zero to sixty in mind-boggling split seconds... this was one heck of a car, even if I didn't appreciate it.

How did such a beast come into being? And how did its production compare with its rival, the XKE?

The history of the Corvette Sting Ray begins with an all new Corvette in the late 1950's.Without the aid of computers, wind tunnel testing, and such modern "necessities", Zora and his team of talented engineers, and Mitchell's young Japanese-American designer, Larry Shinoda (the primary stylist who designed the XP-755 Mako Shark for Bill Mitchell in 1961) came up with what was indeed an all new Corvette. One look at the sleek design made you long for the open road, and the advanced engineering proved up to the task. The 1963 Corvette "Sting Ray" was an instant success. Initial demand for the attractive Sting Ray was so great, the adding an extra shift at the St. Louis plant couldn't even help keep up. Sales soared by 50% to 21,513 up more than 6000 units over the previous year. 1962 proved to be the last year Corvette sales would drop below 20,000 and the last year Corvette would not have a coupe in the model lineup. Chevrolet was proud of the 1963 Sting Ray, and rightfully so. Car Life awarded it's "Engineering Excellence" award to the new Corvette, Motor Trend described the new Corvette as being "far in advance in both ride and handling of anything now being built in the United States", and Car and Driver stated "Steering effort is very low, cornering behavior is extremely stable, and the car inspires a high degree of confidence." The new Corvette even impressed Road & Track.. .. Just a few of the things the normally import oriented publication liked were: The curved side glass, redesigned windshield, improve heater, spare tire mounted in it's own housing underneath the car, better weight distribution with 48% front and 52% rear, the front crossmember, welded rather than bolted to the frame, and the all new options. Zora Arkus-Duntov was quoted as saying, "For the first time I now have a Corvette I can be proud to drive in Europe."

Alternatively, The Jaguar E-Type was introduced to the world in March 1961 in Geneva, Switzerland. The reaction was immediate and enthusiastic. The styling was partly responsible; the sensuous shape still gets rave reviews. The list of mechanical features was, for 1961, stunning: a double overhead cam engine, fully independent rear suspension and four wheel disc brakes (inboard at the rear no less, an exotic touch usually found only on race cars) proved the E-type to be an advanced automobile. The price ($5,595 (£1,830) for the roadster) made the E-Type an exceptional bargain; the Corvette cost less but offerings from Aston Martin and Ferrari were considerably more. The future of the E-Type as an automotive classic was secured.

In terms of comparison, if there is any basis for such, both Jags and Corvettes are "fast." Is this "it"? I have been overheard to remark that the Sting Ray is a natural for flying off the road at a drop of rainfall; in the wet I would be happier in the E-type. The lack of headrests in the 'vette could definitely cause whiplash in the unwary. I never did trust the 'vette's brakes, but one night coming home late and encountering a "Boca Special Driver (similar in deadliness to the Saturday Night Special)" suddenly pulling out from a side road, assuaged my fears somewhat. Although we fishtailed somewhat, we did avoid the direct hit, which seemed inevitable -- or any hit at all.

The 'vette engine is simpler to work on, ... by far!!! And finally, for those who like to compare "bottom lines," a lot cheaper to maintain.

In my research for this article, I came across a comparison penned by a Jaguar enthusiast that labeled the Corvette as "crude." Perhaps. Having had the privilege of owning both, I think the monikers "crude" and "sophisticated," are simplistic, if not , one the one hand, insulting - and on the other hand, effete. It has to come down to a well-earned reputation - for both - for design and engineering in the years that they were being developed and produced.

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About the author - Cindy Gommel is a doctoral candidate at the University of Pennsylvania and lives in south Florida with her husband, John. He is a collector of old cars and is also working on his doctoral degree. They have a '69 Jaguar XKE coupe, a '73 OTS, an '85 XJ-S, and the '63 Corvette.

Posted: 6/2001